My title today is an admittedly pathetic attempt to parody a well-known advertising campaign: “Can you hear me now?” Why have I chosen it? Because studies confirm that, while we humans certainly rely upon senses of hearing, smell, taste, and touch, we still depend far more upon our eyesight for sensory input than we do upon any of these other five senses.
In fact, we seem to do so to the extent that we assign a premium of value not only to our own vision, but also to that of other people as well. The proof lies in the fact that few types of evidence carry as much weight in a court of law as does an eyewitness account.
Littler wonder then that the following headline by John Johnson posted earlier today on www.Newswer.com caught my attention: “Some Are Paying Strangers To Watch Them During Work: The Concept Called 'Body Doubling' Is Designed to Keep People Focused On The Job”.
According to Johnson...
Across the US, more and more people logging in to work from home are being observed by strangers as they do so. It's no invasion of privacy: The workers are actually paying for the privilege. As the Wall Street Journal explains, the concept is called "body doubling" and the principle is fairly straightforward: People are more likely to stay focused and less likely to goof off on the job if they know others are keeping an eye on them. The principle of body doubling can be traced to the treatment of ADHD, and CNN explains that it has been used for quite a while in the field.
"The idea is that the presence of another is essentially a gentle reminder to stay on task," says Billy Roberts, clinical director of Focused Mind ADHD Counseling in Columbus, Ohio. "For folks (with) ADHD whose minds tend to wander and get off task, the body double somehow works as an external motivator to stay on task." With the explosion in the number of people working from home since the pandemic, the concept has morphed into helping such workers stay focused on their work.
As the Hustle notes, those who buy in to the concept don't necessarily have to have others watch them—forums on TikTok allow body doublers to check into non-camera streaming sessions. But those who prefer the extra accountability of cameras now have a variety of subscription services to choose from, including Flown, Focusmate, Flow Club, and Caveday. Participants might log in, publicly display a to-do list, then get working on it. Sometimes, a group leader will guide things. "It's weird but it works," reads the headline of a first-person column on the practice by L'Oreal Blackett at Refinery29.
Now, for my part, I do not necessarily have all that much to hide from others. I really do try to live a decent and upright life. Nonetheless, as an American, I pride myself on my fundamental right to privacy. And this with good reason! Ever since I read George Orwell’s classic, 1984, as young man, I do not know that I would want someone else watching my every move throughout every moment of every hour of every day!
And yet, as I read this, I will admit that I was reminded that there is One who watches me night and day whether I desire or approve or not! According to the Bible, that Individual is none other than Almighty God Himself!
In the Old Testament, Job (in chapter 31, verse 4) asks the question: “Does He not see my ways and count my every step?” As if in response, the Chronicler (in Book 2, chapter 16, verse 9) states that “…the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth.” To which the writer of the New Testament Book of Hebrews adds (in chapter 4, verse 13): “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
Wow! When all is said and done, I need to be far less concerned about whether or not I am being viewed by my fellow man and far more concerned about the fact that I am continuously being viewed by a far greater authority to whom I am accountable!
After all, the worse a bad report from a co-worker could do is to get me fired from some earthly position of employment. By contrast, a bad assessment from my Creator over how I employed my time in this world would have far worse consequences.
In light of this, I believe I’ll continue to do right each and every moment. After all, in light of eternity, how else would I possibly wish to be seen?!
STORY SOURCE:
https://www.newser.com/story/337600/some-are-paying-strangers-to-watch-them-during-work.html.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/job/31-4.htm;
https://biblehub.com/2_chronicles/16-9.htm;
https://biblehub.com/hebrews/4-13.htm.
In fact, we seem to do so to the extent that we assign a premium of value not only to our own vision, but also to that of other people as well. The proof lies in the fact that few types of evidence carry as much weight in a court of law as does an eyewitness account.
Littler wonder then that the following headline by John Johnson posted earlier today on www.Newswer.com caught my attention: “Some Are Paying Strangers To Watch Them During Work: The Concept Called 'Body Doubling' Is Designed to Keep People Focused On The Job”.
According to Johnson...
Across the US, more and more people logging in to work from home are being observed by strangers as they do so. It's no invasion of privacy: The workers are actually paying for the privilege. As the Wall Street Journal explains, the concept is called "body doubling" and the principle is fairly straightforward: People are more likely to stay focused and less likely to goof off on the job if they know others are keeping an eye on them. The principle of body doubling can be traced to the treatment of ADHD, and CNN explains that it has been used for quite a while in the field.
"The idea is that the presence of another is essentially a gentle reminder to stay on task," says Billy Roberts, clinical director of Focused Mind ADHD Counseling in Columbus, Ohio. "For folks (with) ADHD whose minds tend to wander and get off task, the body double somehow works as an external motivator to stay on task." With the explosion in the number of people working from home since the pandemic, the concept has morphed into helping such workers stay focused on their work.
As the Hustle notes, those who buy in to the concept don't necessarily have to have others watch them—forums on TikTok allow body doublers to check into non-camera streaming sessions. But those who prefer the extra accountability of cameras now have a variety of subscription services to choose from, including Flown, Focusmate, Flow Club, and Caveday. Participants might log in, publicly display a to-do list, then get working on it. Sometimes, a group leader will guide things. "It's weird but it works," reads the headline of a first-person column on the practice by L'Oreal Blackett at Refinery29.
Now, for my part, I do not necessarily have all that much to hide from others. I really do try to live a decent and upright life. Nonetheless, as an American, I pride myself on my fundamental right to privacy. And this with good reason! Ever since I read George Orwell’s classic, 1984, as young man, I do not know that I would want someone else watching my every move throughout every moment of every hour of every day!
And yet, as I read this, I will admit that I was reminded that there is One who watches me night and day whether I desire or approve or not! According to the Bible, that Individual is none other than Almighty God Himself!
In the Old Testament, Job (in chapter 31, verse 4) asks the question: “Does He not see my ways and count my every step?” As if in response, the Chronicler (in Book 2, chapter 16, verse 9) states that “…the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth.” To which the writer of the New Testament Book of Hebrews adds (in chapter 4, verse 13): “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
Wow! When all is said and done, I need to be far less concerned about whether or not I am being viewed by my fellow man and far more concerned about the fact that I am continuously being viewed by a far greater authority to whom I am accountable!
After all, the worse a bad report from a co-worker could do is to get me fired from some earthly position of employment. By contrast, a bad assessment from my Creator over how I employed my time in this world would have far worse consequences.
In light of this, I believe I’ll continue to do right each and every moment. After all, in light of eternity, how else would I possibly wish to be seen?!
STORY SOURCE:
https://www.newser.com/story/337600/some-are-paying-strangers-to-watch-them-during-work.html.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/job/31-4.htm;
https://biblehub.com/2_chronicles/16-9.htm;
https://biblehub.com/hebrews/4-13.htm.